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December,

the Narrow, it fet ftrongly over to the north fhore: 1764. it flows here, at the full and change of the moon, about ten o'clock. Between the first and the fecond Narrow the flood fets to the S. W. and the ebb to the N. E. after the weft end of the fecond Narrow is paffed, the course, with a leading wind, is S. by E. three leagues. Between the islands of Elizabeth and Saint Bartholomew, the channel is about half a mile over, and the water is deep: we found the flood fet very ftrongly to the fouthward, with a great rippling, but round the Iflands the tides fet many different ways.

In the morning of the 23d, we weighed with the Sund. 23. wind at S. by W. and worked between Elizabeth and Bartholomew's ifland: before the tide was spent, we got over upon the north fhore, and anchored in ten fathom. Saint George's Island then bore N. E. by N. diftant three leagues; a point of land, which I called PORPOIS POINT, N. by W. diftant about five miles; and the fouthermoft land S. by E. diftant about two miles. In the evening, we weighed and fteered S. byE. about five miles along the north fhore, at about one mile's distance, with regular foundings, from seven to thirteen fathom, and every where good ground. At ten o'clock at night, we anchored in thirteen fathom; Sandy Point then bearing S. by E. diftant four miles; Porpois Point W. N. W. three leagues; and Saint George's Inland N. E. four leagues. All along this fhore the flood fets to the fouthward; at the full and change of the moon, it flows about eleven o'clock, and the water rifes about fifteen feet.

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The next morning, I went out in my boat in search Mond. 24. of Fresh Water Bay; I landed with my Second Lieutenant upon Sandy Point, and having fent the boat along the shore, we walked a-breast of her. Upon the Point we found plenty of wood, and very good water, and for four or five miles the shore was exceedingly pleafant. Over the Point there is a fine level country, with a foil that, to all appearance, is extremely rich; for the ground was covered with flowers of various kinds, that perfumed the air with their fragrance; and among them there were berries, almost innumerable, where the bloffoms had been shed: we obferved that the grafs was very good, and that it was intermixed with a great number

1764. number of peas in bloffom. Among this luxuriance of December. herbage we faw many hundreds of birds feeding,

Tuef. 25.

which, from their form, and the uncommon beauty of their plumage, we called painted geefe. We walked more than twelve miles, and found great plenty of fine fresh water, but not the bay that we fought; for we faw no part of the fhore, in all our walk from Sandy Point, where a boat could land without the utmost hazard, the water being every where fhoal, and the fea breaking very high. We fell in with a great number of the huts or wigwams of the Indians, which ap peared to have been very lately deferted, for in fome of them the fires which they had kindled were scarcely extinguifhed; they were in little receffes of the woods, and always close to fresh water. In many places we

found plenty of wild celery, and a variety of plants, which probably would be of great benefit to seamen after a long voyage. In the evening, we walked back again, and found the fhips at anchor in Sandy Point Bay, at the distance of about half a mile from the fhore. The keen air of this place made our people fo voraciously hungry that they could have eaten three times their allowance; I was therefore very glad to find fome of them employed in hauling the feine, and others on shore with their guns: fixty very large mullets were just taken with the feine, as I came up; and the gunners had good fport, for the place abounded with geefe, teale, fnipes, and other birds, that were excellent food.

On the 25th, Christmas day, we obferved by two altitudes, and found the latitude of Sandy Point to be 53° 10' S. At eight in the morning, we weighed, and having failed five leagues from Sandy Point, in the direction of S. by E. E. we anchored again in thirtytwo fathom, about a mile from the shore; the south point of Fresh Water Bay then bearing N. N. W. diftant about four miles; and the fouthermoft land S. E. by S. As we failed along the fhore, at about two miles distance, we had no ground with fixty fathom; but at the distance of one mile, we had from twenty to thirty-two fathom. At the full and change of the moon, the tide flows off Fresh Water Bay at twelve o'clock;

o'clock; it runs but little, yet flows very much by the fhore.

1764.

December.

On the 26th, at eight o'clock in the morning, we Wedn. 26. weighed with the wind at E. N. E. and steered S. S. E. for Port Famine. At noon, St. Anne's Point, which is the northermoft point of that port, bore S. by E. E. diftant three leagues. Along this fhore, at the distance of two or three miles, we had very deep water; but within a mile had ground with twenty-five or thirty fathom. From St. Anne's Point a reef of rocks runs out S. E. by E. about two miles; and at the distance of two cables length from this reef the water will fuddenly fhoal from fixty-five to thirty-five and twenty fathom. The Point itself is very steep, fo that there is no founding till it is approached very near, and great care must be taken in ftanding into Port Famine, efpecially if the ship is as far fouthward as Sedger river; for the water will shoal at once from thirty to twenty, fifteen and twelve fathom; and at about two cables length farther in, at more than a mile from the fhore, there is but nine feet water, when the tide is out. By hauling clofe round St. Anne's Point, foundings will foon be got; and as the water fhoals very fast, it is not fafe to go farther in, when there is no more than seven fathom; the streight here is not more than four leagues wide.

'The next day at noon, having had little wind, and Thurf. 27. calms, we anchored in Port Famine, close to the fhore, and found our fituation very fafe and convenient: we had shelter from all winds except the S. E. which seldom blows, and if a ship should be driven afhore in the bottom of the bay, fhe could receive no damage; for it is all fine foft ground. We found drift wood here fufficient to have furnished a thousand fail, fo that we had no need to take the trouble of cutting green. The water of Sedger river is excellent, but the boats cannot get in till about two hours flood, because at low water it is very shallow for about three quarters of a mile. I went up it about four miles in my boat, and the fallen trees then rendered it impoffible to go farther: I found it indeed, not only difficult but dangerous to get up thus far. The ftream is very rapid, and many stumps of trees lie hidden under it: one of these

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1764.

December.

made its way through the bottom of my boat, and in an inftant she was full of water. We got on fhore as well as we could; and afterwards, with great difficulty, hauled her up upon the fide of the river: here we contrived to stop the hole in her bottom, fo as that we made a shift to get her down to the river's mouth, where fhe was foon properly repaired by the carpenter. On each fice of this river there are the finest trees I ever faw, and I make no doubt but that they would fupply the British navy with the best masts in the world. Some of them are of a great height, and more than eight feet in diameter, which is proportionably more than eight yards in circumference; fo that four men, joining hand in hand, could not compass them : among others, we found the pepper tree, or winter's bark in great plenty. Among thefe woods, notwithftanding the coldness of the climate, there are innumerable parrots, and other birds of the most beautiful plumage. I fhot every day geefe and ducks enough to ferve my own table and several others, and every body on board might have done the fame: we had indeed great plenty of fresh provifions of all kinds; for we caught as much fish every day as ferved the companies of both fhips. As I was much on shore here, I tracked many wild beasts in the fand, but never saw one; we alfo found many huts or wigwams, but never met with an Indian. The country between this Port and Cape Forward, which is diftant about four leagues, is extremely fine; the foil appears to be very good, and there are no less than three pretty large rivers, besides feveral brooks.

While we lay here, I went one day to Cape Forward, and when I fet out I intended to have gone farther; but the weather became fo bad, with heavy rain, that we were glad to stop there, and make a great fire to dry our cloaths, which were wet through. From the place where we stopped, the Indians had been gone fo lately, that the wood, which lay half burnt, where they had made their fire, was flill warm; and foon after our fire was kindled, we perceived that another was kindled directly oppofite to it, on the Terra del Fuego fhore; probably as a fignal, which, if we had been Indians, we fhould have underflood. After we

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Decemb.

were dried and refreshed at our fire, the rain having 1764. abated, I walked cross the Cape, to fee how the Streight ran, which I found to be about W. N. W. The hills, as far as I could fee, were of an immenfe height, very craggy, and covered with fnow quite from the fummit to the bafe. I made alfo another excurfion along the fhore to the northward, and found the country for many miles exceedingly pleafant, the ground being, in many places, covered with flowers, which were not inferior to thofe that are commonly found in our gardens, either in beauty or fragrance; and if it were not for the feverity of the cold in winter, this country might, in my opinion, be made, by cultivation, one of the finest in the world. I had set up a small tent at the bottom of this bay, close to a little rivulet, and just at the skirts of a wood, foon after the fhip came to an anchor, where three men were employed in washing: they flept on fhore ; but, foon after funfet, were awakened out of their first fleep by the roaring of fome wild beafts, which the darkness of the night, and the folitariness of their fituation in this pathlefs defart, rendered horrid beyond imagination the tone was hollow and deep, fo that the beafts, of whatever kind, were certainly large, and the poor fellows perceived that they drew nearer and nearer, as the found every minute became more loud. From this time fleep was renounced for the night, a large fire was immediately kindled, and a conftant blaze kept up this prevented the beafts from invading the tents; but they continued to prowl round it at a little distance, with inceffant howlings, till the day broke, and then, to the great comfort of the affrighted failors, they disappeared. At this place, not far from where the fhip lay, there is a hill that has been cleared of wood, and we supposed this to be the spot where the Spaniards formerly had a fettlement .* of the men, as he was paffing over this hill, perceived that, in a particular part, the ground returned the found of his foot, as if it was hollow: he therefore repaffed it feveral times, and finding the effect ftill the

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*See fome account of this fettlement in the Voyage of Captain Wallis, chap. iii. p. 224.

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